With today’s tough economy and overall tighter company budgets, it’s no wonder your clients are becoming more demanding and wanting more from you in a shorter turnaround time. With so many balls in the air, and only two hands to catch them all, working with a smart supplier who can truly be a partner to you will make a world of difference.
Let’s face it: Your supplier should make your job easier—not add to your frustration level. Working with a solid supplier will make you more successful by providing you with the tools/products to help build relationships with both new and current clients. As an extension of your team, you’ll need to ensure it has as much “skin in the game” as you do—after all, you are out there selling its products.
So how can you be sure you are working with a solid supplier? Start by asking yourself these three simple questions:
1. Does it have easy-to-use sales and marketing tools available to you?
2. Is it proactively keeping you informed of upcoming opportunities?
3. Does it work with you to resolve any outstanding issues?
If you answered “yes” to all three questions, looks like you’re in good hands. If not, these are criteria every distributor should ask themselves when looking for a supplier. Industry resources that identify top-rated suppliers, such as ASI and SAGE, also prove to be valuable ways in which you can validate how your supplier ranks amongst the others. Have a look at your supplier’s ranking by visiting either of these websites—and remember: the higher its ranking, the more trustworthy it is (as rated by your peers).
So how can you strengthen the bond between you and your current supplier? These four tips might work well in your favor:
1. Ensure your supplier has your current contact information. There’s nothing more irritating than your supplier reaching out to the incorrect phone number or point-of-contact over and over again. Orders may be left unattended for a long period of time as your supplier tries to get a hold of you via your office phone number, rather than your cell phone, as an example. Ensure you clearly communicate who your supplier may contact and the correct method of contact for any correspondence, including upcoming opportunities like specials or promotions, so that you are not missing out on anything important.
2. Set yourself up with an online account. With the digital world becoming more and more prominent, make sure you are set up with an online account so you may access your supplier’s information on-the-go, anytime, anywhere. Most suppliers provide access to live inventory, high-resolution images and marketing tools all on their websites. And those who are truly believers in keeping their customers’ business moving 24/7 might even have their very-own mobile application to make life even easier for you. Discover what other order options are available to you digitally by inquiring about all of your supplier’s services.
3. Determine your supplier’s contact list. Take a proactive approach in determining who your go-to people are at your supplier’s company. Who is the best person to go to with order support questions? Product expertise? Marketing knowledge? These contacts can become an extended part of your sales team if you make the effort in establishing solid relationships with them.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate! Work with your supplier on any outstanding issues you may have and offer suggestions from time to time. Remember, it’s a two-way street. If they don’t know what issues you may be facing, they simply can’t resolve them. Your sales representative will be the best point of initial contact, as they will be well-equipped to handle any inquiries or concerns.
The value of a solid distributor/supplier partnership will no doubt be evident in your everyday business practices. By working with a supplier who can act as a one-stop shop for all of your product and decoration needs, your order can be completed in one location, saving you headaches on cost, time, tracking and risk. Samples are also a cost of doing business, so look out for a supplier who can make this process easy yet effective. By providing you with presentation-ready, discounted, returnable samples with the tools to help you to sell them (e.g., product sell sheets and/or descriptive hangtags), you’ll be on the path to success with your client.
With more than 10 years on the supplier side of the promotional and corporate apparel industry, Lisa LeBlanc’s primary focus is on developing relationships with Ash City customers through improved services, unique tools and innovative resources. Before Lisa joined Ash City, she spent more than 10 years as an entrepreneur, running her own successful restaurant. Her career in sales-focused environments, including B2B and B2C, afforded her the opportunity to experience the sales channel from multiple perspectives, strengthening her commitment to working toward developing more effective partnerships between suppliers and distributors.
Want to write a guest blog for Promo Marketing? Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and tell us what your blog would be about.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily represent the positions of Promo Marketing, its staff or its publisher.
